Lilongwe — UN urban centre
Lilongwe: 961,399 people. Reference: 2025 annual estimate · World rank #540 of 12,138 source urban centres. Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Source identifier: 444; territory: Malawi (MWI). UN source workbook.
Method: Degree of Urbanisation (contiguous 1 km2 cells, density 1,500+ people/km2, total 50,000+). This is a source-defined urban centre, not a municipality or province. No association with a separate administrative entity is inferred from proximity or name.
Source centroid: -13.9533, 33.7756. National context uses World Bank estimates, a separate series and geography; no national share is inferred here.
UN population series
| Year | People | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 82,155 | Estimate |
| 1990 | 124,889 | Estimate |
| 1995 | 175,502 | Estimate |
| 2000 | 291,964 | Estimate |
| 2005 | 408,933 | Estimate |
| 2010 | 561,145 | Estimate |
| 2015 | 705,867 | Estimate |
| 2020 | 837,370 | Estimate |
| 2025 | 961,399 | Estimate |
| 2030 | 1,177,663 | Projection |
| 2035 | 1,383,469 | Projection |
| 2040 | 1,543,828 | Projection |
| 2045 | 1,682,006 | Projection |
| 2050 | 1,847,638 | Projection |
Largest UN urban centres · Fastest-growing urban centres
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.